Transfer Planning

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)

The U.S. Department of Education defines Hispanic Serving Institutions as "institutions that have at least a 25 percent Hispanic undergraduate full-time-equivalent enrollment, with at least 50 percent of its Hispanic students coming from low-income backgrounds and being the first generation in their family to attend college, and an additional 25 percent being low-income or first generation.

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) was established in 1986, in part, to help improve access to and the quality of post-secondary educational opportunities for Hispanic students.

Today, HACU is comprised of over 200 member colleges and universities that are committed to Hispanic higher education success. Although member institutions in the U.S. represent less than 10% of all higher education institutions nationwide, together they are home to more than two-thirds of all Hispanic college students. HACU is the only national educational association that represents Hispanic Serving Institutions.

With the help of HACU’s Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., HACU maintains more than 30 formal Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Partnership Agreements with federal agencies, offices, and business organizations. HACU also provides assistance and outreach to HSIs by hosting technical assistance workshops throughout the country on available federal program grants and other resources. The HACU National Internship Program also operates out of the Washington, DC, office and places 600 student interns each year with federal agencies in Washington or in field offices around the country.

HACU's Western Regional Office in Sacramento, California, offers support for state level advocacy and program work in the western United States. Additional regional offices are being planned for the future. (Source: HACU)